Besalisk Strides
by Prophetic Fire
Summary: Jedi General Magg Teff and her troops come to the aid of Skywalker and the 501st. But her presence rubs at raw wounds for the men of Torrent Company.


"General Teff! It's good to hear your voice!"

It was hard to make out General Skywalker's voice over the zing of blaster bolts and the hum of his lightsaber. They really were in the thick of it, then. Magg tried to boost the volume on her comm as she ran.

"We came as soon as we could!" she answered. They'd only barely cleared their sector of the region when Skywalker's call for assistance came through. Explains why they'd found fewer droids than she'd anticipated. Seems they'd fallen back to converge in one big mass near the city, where the larger GAR force was. She'd pulled up the holomap and quickly scanned it. If she and her troops could get over the bluff by the river, they could slide down the other side and pinch off the column of droids pinning Skywalker down. After a brief conference with Nips to discuss strategy, they'd taken off. Air support wouldn't be there yet; they had to do this the old fashioned way. Nips set the pace, as always, and she matched it. No good letting her long Besalisk strides carry her too far in front of them.

They reached the bluff and began trekking up it. The sound of blasterfire spilled over the top. Magg ignited her lightsaber, the humming green of the double blade casting a glow over her troops in the growing twilight. She glanced at Nips. "Are we ready, Commander?"

Nips nodded. "As ready as we'll ever be."

Magg did a final check as they neared the top. Arm bracers, secure. Belt, secure. Comm, working. Lightsaber, ready. Troops, in position. She was as prepared as she could get.

But as she crested the ridge and raced toward the battle, she wasn't prepared for the cold wave of _dread_ that slammed into her. The 501st troopers seemed to be drenched in it. There wasn't time to think about it, though, as the droids realized they'd been outflanked and started firing back. She separated the two halves of her lightsaber with a quick twist, swinging a blade to either side to deflect the incoming bolts. With her troops right behind, they charged into the line of droids.

Dive. Swing. Cut. Parry. Roll. Force push. Jump. Slash. The movements flowed, one into the other. Muscle memory tossed her sabers swiftly and surely between her four hands, moved her feet to dodge and advance. The Force rippled around her, its current ebbing and flowing as a pressure along her limbs, her heart, her mind, warning her of danger with a push and guiding her toward the safest paths with a gentle draw. She let it carry her through the battlefield. Moment to moment, riding the wave of crystal-sharp focus that kept her one step ahead. She pushed through the ranks of droids toward Skywalker.

Soon enough, it was over. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, the droids fell like leaves before the oncoming wind of both forces. Quiet descended on the valley, the eerie sort of half quiet left by the loss of the ringing of blasterfire, but punctuated by cries of pain and short, sharp commands. The Force roiled around Magg, unsettled, as it always did after battle. She didn't think she'd ever get past how uncomfortable it sat in the pit of her stomach. It would take many years for these places to heal from the wounds gouged into their Force signatures. But now that the immediacy of the moment had passed, that undercurrent of _dread_ began to drift back around her. The more she probed at it, the more she sensed it directed toward her presence in particular. So not just general post-battle restlessness, then.

She approached Skywalker, who stood in conversation with his captain. Triage and logistics, she overheard. She waited patiently for them to be done. But Skywalker's captain radiated a tenseness that grew and grew the longer she stood by. Finally, Skywalker dismissed him, and he quickly jogged away.

"Glad you could make it," Skywalker said. "We appreciate the help."

Magg shook her head. "Not a problem, General. We're all in this together."

"I've already commed the cruisers; they're sending gunships for the wounded and bringing supplies. I have a feeling this isn't over yet."

"I think you're right," Magg answered. "The Seps' tactics so far suggest they're protecting something within the city. It won't be a simple sweep-and-clean. Do you think we should keep our forces combined?"

Skywalker nodded. "I think for now, yes. They've got no air support that we know of; we won't be targets."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll go tell my men."

Magg turned to walk away, but the knot in her stomach compelled her to stop. She faced Skywalker once more. "General, I need to ask. Do you feel the…unease? In the Force?"

Skywalker's gaze faltered for a moment. "I do."

The knot twisted. "You know why, don't you?"

Skywalker sighed. "Yes." He crossed his arms in front of him. "And if you're going to be here with us, then you should know too. Magg…"

Magg suddenly felt like she didn't want to know the answer.

"There isn't an easy way to tell you this. I don't know all the details myself. I…wasn't there. I was called away, and I left my men in the care of another general and he…" Skywalker's jaw clenched. "He betrayed us, Magg, and he got a lot of my guys killed. And Kenobi's. They haven't said much about it, but they're still really shaken up. I'm sorry Magg, I didn't think— When you answered my call I didn't think how my men—" He took a breath. "I didn't think how they'd react to you."

Magg nodded absently, brows knit together. Her heart felt heavy. One of their own, betraying the GAR, costing the lives of the troops who trusted them. Who could have done such a thing? Why would her presence in particular have agitated Skywalker's troops? Who—

Then it hit her.

"Master Krell."

Skywalker touched her lower arm lightly. "I'm sorry Mag. I know he was important to you."

Magg felt as though a chasm had opened in her chest. Master Pong had been the one to find her, to bring her to the Temple. There weren't many Besalisk Jedi. He'd been there to guide her and offer advice. And though when the time came she'd become someone else's padawan, he had still been a figure of support in her life. Time and the demands of being a Jedi had separated them in recent years. Now, it was clear much more than just distance had come between her and her old mentor. What had happened? How had it happened? How could Master Pong have become someone who betrayed everything he had taught her?

"Thank you, General Skywalker, for telling me," she managed to say. "I appreciate the information.

"Any time, General Teff."

Skywalker's comm beeped. He excused himself and wandered off to take the call, leaving Magg to her thoughts. Darkness had come upon the valley finally, and the road flickered eerily with the sweep of troopers' headlamps. A few hundred paces away, the lights of the medic station glowed, broken by the shadows of men moving back and forth. Nips was there, she sensed. She swallowed down her emotions and picked her way across the road toward it.

The medic station was, as always, a frenzy of organized chaos. There were troopers in critical condition to be tended to, and teams were still bringing in injured men from the field. She stood just out of the flow of traffic and signaled Nips' comm. Before long, he appeared at her side.

"Casualty report, General," he said, handing her a datapad. "So far, anyway." She read through the list. Too many. Always too many. One was too many. But it could have been worse, and that was the only comfort she took. With a sigh, she handed it back.

"Thank you, Nips. I'm sorry."

"Of course, Sir. Thank you."

Magg reached out and patted Nips on the shoulder. "I'm here for you, my friend."

Nips gripped her wrist briefly. "I know, and I'm grateful."

A prickling at her senses caught her attention, and she turned from Nips toward its source. Several paces away, just at the edge of the light from the medic station, stood Skywalker's captain. For the briefest moment, their eyes met, before he looked away, shifting his gaze as though he hadn't been watching. After a second or two, he strode off, the same tenseness from before cascading off of him. Magg watched him go.

"The Five-Oh-First Captain, what's his name?" she asked Nips.

"Oh that's Rex," he answered. "His guys seem a little skittish; not sure why."

Magg took a breath. "I think I need to talk to him. Tell the men I'll be around to check on them soon?"

Nips nodded. "Will do, Magg. Thanks."

She started at the medic station. Weaving through the flurry of activity, she sought out each of her injured troopers, sharing a few words with those who could speak, and spending a moment in the presence of those who were too injured to respond. Breaker was there, being treated for cracked ribs and and a broken arm. He gave her his shining smile, as always, and as always it made her chest ache. She'd see him through to the end of the war. She had to; he had his book to write. When his bacta injections were finished, he was shooed out of the station by Teal. The medic never stopped moving as he updated Magg on the status of their men. He paused only when another trooper slid into the space vacated by Breaker, giving the man a quick visual assessment before reaching for his supplies.

Magg exited the medic station and began moving down the valley, checking in with each company she could find. There was time, at least for now, for this tradition. She didn't stay long; there were still droid parts to be moved and men to be brought to the medics, and the troops were setting up small camp areas for what little shut-eye they'd be able to snatch. Captain Bracket's men had already gotten a fire going, and a spirited—if quiet—game of sabacc. But she made sure to let them all know that she was glad they were okay, face to face.

By the time she'd finished, the valley was quiet. Bracket's fire had died down to embers, as had several others, and their glowing coals dotted the darkness. A splash of stars from the galactic center spilled across the cloudless night sky, bathing everything in just enough light to cast their edges in faint shadow. Now, she thought. Now it was time to talk with Skywalker's captain.

She found him standing by a fallen log at the side of the road, his face illuminated ghostly blue by a holomap of the valley. "No, Jesse," he was saying into his comm. "The General's still coming up with an alternative. Keep seeing what you can find, but don't stray too far. Keep Tup with you."

"Will do, Sir," came the voice from the other end. "Over and out."

Magg waited a moment longer, then approached. "Captain," she called out softly. Almost instantly, she felt the tension return in the Force, like a thousand ice crystals pulling at the air. The Captain snapped off the holomap, plunging them into darkness. "Sir!" his voice rang out. She could almost feel the stiffness of his salute. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light, she could see it too. She shook her head.

"At ease, Captain, please. Please."

The Captain dropped his hand, but she could tell he was still uneasy. Slowly, she stepped closer, sinking to the ground and resting her back against the log. What should she say? What _could_ she say? Whatever had happened between Master Krell and Skywalker's troops had left its own Force wound on him. She could feel its jagged edges behind the frost. That had always been her gift, she'd been told. That her Force connection could so easily pick out the moods and imprints of others. But it didn't help her find the words she felt she needed.

"My name is Magg," she settled for, finally. "General Skywalker has agreed that our battalions should stick together for the time being."

The Captain nodded. "Yes, General. I've been informed."

Magg clasped her upper hands together. "General Skywalker also shared some information about a…previous mission, involving a Besalisk Jedi, that he felt I should know."

The ice in the Force seemed to harden, just a little. "My men and I are capable of working with a number of species, General. It won't be a problem."

Magg pursed her lips. "Captain, that's not— I mean— That's not what I— I'm sorry."

She looked up at him, and there was a pause as their eyes met. Even in the darkness, the Captain's gaze radiated intensity. Neither one of them seemed able to look away. It seemed a test, almost. Of what, she wasn't certain. But she did look away, at last, back down to her hands. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I'm not asking you to tell me the details. That's your own story to keep. But I can feel it. In all of you, I can feel it. And I just… How can I help make it easier? How can I make working together easier?"

Another pause. The quiet seemed to stretch on. "Truthfully, General?"

"Please."

"I don't know."

The Captain shifted, bringing his helmet from under his arm to hold it before him, cradling it against his chest. "A lot happened, on Umbara. And you coming over that hill put us all back in a place we'd like to forget."

Silence again.

"He found me," she said at last.

The Captain's sudden intake of breath was sharp in the quiet.

"He was the one who found me and brought me to the Temple. Master Krell was a mentor to me for many years. But I haven't— _hadn't_ …spoken with him in a long time, and General Skywalker told me he'd…turned from the light. I wish… I'm sorry, Captain. I wish none of that had happened to you."

"Why do you keep doing that?"

The question caught Magg off guard. She looked up at him again. "Do what?"

"Calling me Captain."

He was staring at her again, a single pinprick of light burning in each eye. "I saw you, going around. You call your Commander by his name. You call your men by their names. You know my name; I know you do. Why don't you use it?"

The Force pressed against her, a weight of ice. Magg sensed there was so much more riding on the question than the question's words implied. "Truthfully?"

"Yes."

"I suppose…" she began. Again, she felt she didn't have the right words. "I didn't…want to disrespect you, by pretending a familiarity that hasn't yet been earned."

Another silence, long and tense.

Suddenly, the faint _gh-gh-gh-gh_ of familiar engine sound reached their ears. Magg rose to her feet, and the Captain turned his head to listen. It grew louder as the seconds passed. _LAATs._

At the same moment, Magg's comm beeped, with General Skywalker's code. She answered it.

"Gunships inbound, General Teff! There was some holdup with the cruisers, but they made it. Get ready for medevac and supply drop."

"Copy that, General Skywalker. Where's the drop zone?"

"As near to the med station as we can get it. Spread the word."

"I'm on it."

The Captain's comm went off as soon as Magg's call ended. Skywalker again, issuing orders, with added instructions for his own men. Magg began to hurry away, to prepare for the incoming ships, but the Captain's voice stopped her.

"General Teff!"

She turned. "Yes Captain?"

His expression was unreadable. "You asked me, how you could make working together easier."

She nodded. He took a breath.

"Just…keep doing what you're doing. Keep showing us you care."

Magg's chest constricted. "Of course, Captain. Always." She could still sense the jagged edges around his being, but the ice in the Force felt as though it had thawed, just a bit.

"And General?"

"Yes?"

"Please call me Rex."


End file.
